Choice
by The-Cursed-Daughter
Summary: To protect his friends from a hidden threat, John will do anything a new enemy tells him to. But how far is he willing to take it? John/HB
1. Chapter 1

_Sorry, my goddamned computer deleted this the first time we tried to post it. Anyway, I've thought of two more stories..._

It's up to you guys which one we use first. Just pick 1 or 2.

_Anyway, this is like the epilogue. _

_**Warnings: Swearing**_

_**Disclaimer: We own nothing but the plot and some OC's later on.**_

* * *

"Remind me again why we're doin' this?" Hellboy grumbled as he, Liz, Abe and John trekked up the hill to an abandoned factory.

"Because," Abe told him, "It's our job. And because all hell with break loose if these entities decide to move closer to the city."

Liz ran up ahead of them and pulled open the door, and John craned his neck to see around her. The factory had been cleared out long ago, just empty floor space. The agent's boots crunched on the broken lightbulbs, and he clutched his gun a little tighter.

Red walked into the center of the factory. "Alright, I'm tired, hungry, and seriously pissed. Come on out so I can shoot you!"

A calm, bored voice echoed through the factory. John strained his ears to hear where it was coming from, but no luck, the sound echoed off the glass and metal, making it impossible to track.

"Sorry," the voice drawled, "Don't feel like taking a bullet. We feel more like...flipping."

Hellboy's brows furrowed. "Flippin'? What the hell are ya talkin'—"

Suddenly, three shapes shot out from the darkness, one jumping onto Abe, one onto Liz, and one flipping off of Hellboy's back. In the next instant, they disappeared. Liz scowled. "It'd be nice if you didn't use us as backboards!"

The voice didn't seem to hear her. "Oh alright. We surrender."

Three demons dropped from the rafters, and Liz, Red and John shot each. As agents collected the bodies, John caught up to Hellboy. "Don't you think that that was too easy?"

The demon glanced at him. "Whaddaya mean?"

John sighed; the demon was so thick headed some times. "That they gave up so easily! We didn't do anything, they just surrendered!"

Hellboy grinned and ruffled the liaison's hair. "C'mon Boy Scout, if you met me in the middle of the night, you wouldn't wanna mess around either, would ya?"

John didn't have an answer, but he didn't like it all the same. Something bigger had to have been going on.

* * *

Little did the agent know, he was right. But the chaos was only beginning.

* * *

Dun, Dun, Dun, Dun!!

_Kit &_ Violet


	2. Chapter 2

_(screams at the sky and beyond) VIOLET!! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!!_

(cowers in a hole and below) About?

_POSTING MY STORY!! WHY THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO THAT?_

It's a good story! (Please back me up, readers)

_I'm not saying it wasn't an **OKAY** story, but still...ah, I'll rage later. Anyway, here's the next chapter...it gets interesting!_

_**Warnings: Swearing**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot.**_

* * *

John got the call at 11:55 am the next day. He, Liz, Abe and Hellboy were out in the back gardens; Abe reading, Liz taking photos of Hellboy posing ridiculously.

Suddenly, the agent's phone rang. In a well practiced move, John pulled out the cell phone and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Greetings, Agent Meyers."

John frowned. "Who is this?"

"There is no need to worry yourself with such trivial information."

The agent frown deepened. "Is this some sort of stupid prank? I'm hanging up!"

The voice sounded smug. "Go ahead, but I wouldn't if I were you. Not if you want your friends to live past noon."

Boy Scout stopped. His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Who _is_ this?!"

The voice paused for effect. Whoever it was knew that he was listening now. "We are an...organization. The three demons you faced last night were a few of our agents. They poisoned your friends."

John's eyes flicked to his friends. Hellboy had stolen Abe's book and was demanding the fish-man take some pictures with him if Abe wanted it back. "Those demons didn't get anywhere near us. We shot them!"

The person on the other end laughed. "_Those_ were doppelgangers. Check your morgue, they'll be ash now. Hellboy, Liz and Abraham were poisoned before that."

Suddenly, John realized what he meant. That seemingly random sentence, "We feel like flipping", was those agents making fun of them! They must have been poisoned when the demons vaulted off of his friends!

The voice seemed to know that he had figured it out. "Good, you are smart. Our agents had special thorns attached to the palms of their hands. Your friends' bodies are land mines. At any time, we can kill them. Unless..."

"You're bluffing." John didn't know who this person was, or what his goals were, but he wasn't going to be afraid of empty threats.

The voice laughed again. "Would you like us to prove it to you?"

John heard what sounded like a knob being turned on the other end. Across the yard, Liz suddenly dropped the camera and dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach in pain. Abe and Hellboy stood over her. "What's wrong?" Abe asked.

"Okay, okay," John said hurriedly into the receiver, "I believe you. You said unless. You'll kill them unless what?"

There was a smile in the other person's voice. "I see we have your attention. We will not hesitate to kill them, unless you do whatever we tell you to."

"No." Immediately, John heard the knob being turned. Suddenly, Abe clutched his head. "Alright. I'll do what you want."

"Good boy. You'll be hearing from us soon. Goodbye John."

* * *

John hung up and took off, heading to the morgue. He ignored the angry agents' shouts as he ran past them. He breezed through the aisles, arriving at the ones where the three demons were kept until they could be examined. As he opened them, his heart fell; there was nothing left but ashes. _Damn it, they were right!_

The agent headed back to his room, surprised when the door opened at his touch. He could have sworn he locked it when he left. A note sat on his bed, with something small and dark on it. John picked it up; it was an earphone, much like the ones the Secret Service wore. The note said; _'This earphone is waterproof and will only come off if __you__ take it off. Keep it on__ at all times__. Or else.'_

John hooked the earphone on, feeling it magically seal to his ear, and immediately, the voice sounded in his ear. "Good. You follow instructions well. I'll warn you now, we have cameras everywhere; you don't do anything without us knowing."

"What am I supposed to tell people when they ask about my earphone?" John asked. "People are going to wonder what I'm doing wearing it all the time. It's not even a BPRD issue one, either."

The voice sounded indifferent. "So lie, John. You had better start now; you'll be doing a lot of it in the future."

* * *

Read and review, but no flames, or else Kit'll murder you in your sleep.

_You should be more worried about yourself, Vi._

(laughs nervously) You're joking, right Kit?

_..._

RIGHT, Kit?

_No._

(runs away like demons are at my heels)

_(Sigh) God, what did I do to deserve this?_

_Kit_ & Violet


	3. Chapter 3

_Well, it seems that nobody likes my sequel to The Names We Call Ourselves...oh well. Anyway, for those of you who don't know yet, me and Vi have created a new email that our parents don't know about, so feel free to send us your plot bunnies, (constructive) criticism, and whatever else!_

Kit, cheer up...you haven't been feeling good lately?

_No, I have not. Anway, enjoy and **PLEASE REVIEW**!!_

_**Warnings: Swearing, MURDER (Mwahaha!)**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot and the OC organization...That we haven't named yet.**_

* * *

Hellboy watched as John came into the study, an earpiece clipped into his ear. It made Boy Scout look official, serious. It was actually kinda cute.

"Hey Scout," Hellboy said, "What's with the thing in yer ear?"

John paused before answering, like he was listening to something. "Um, nothing Hellboy. Why, does it bother you?"

Red was a little suspicious of the way the kid answered, like he wasn't saying something. "Nah, just curious."

Manning came into study, his face already pinkish. "We're getting a new agent today. Just transferred from—well, I don't give a damn from where. Make sure he knows the ropes, Agent Meyers, and you," he glared at Hellboy, "Don't. Break. This. One."

Hellboy looked flabbergasted. "How the hell was I s'pposed ta know the gun had a self-destruct? At least Agent Matthews is fine now!"

Manning sighed exasperatedly and left, leaving the demon, Abe, Liz and John alone with the new guy. He cleared his throat. "I'm Agent Andrews. And you must be Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and John. I've heard a lot about you guys."

Red glanced at John, and was surprised to find he was jealous at the way John was looking at that Andrews guy. Suddenly, Boy Scout snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry. Anyway, I'm supposed to show you around. Let's go, I'll show you the north side first."

Liz walked up to him as the two agents left. "Envy isn't your thing, Red; you're the wrong color for it."

The demon looked at her. "Whaddaya talkin' about?"

"You're jealous that John's getting along with the new guy."

Hellboy's jaw dropped. "What? Are you nuts; did the smoke from yer fires go to yer head? I ain't jealous of nobody!"

Liz grinned and exchanged glances with Abe, who smiled. "Whatever you say Hellboy."

Hellboy glared at the fire-starter's back as she left. He crossed his arms. "I ain't jealous."

* * *

John led Agent Andrews—whose first name he learned was Carter—down to the cafeteria. "And this is the cafeteria—I'm guessing you know what people do in here." Carter nodded, and John looked at him. It was peculiar timing that he arrived just as this new enemy appeared. "What agency did you say you came from?" John asked.

Agent Andrews smiled. "I didn't." He walked down the hall, poking his head into another room. "Where does this lead?"

John thought fast. Andrews shows up just as these new enemies do. Manning had said he had been here at least a few days before today, getting settled, so he could have very easily overridden John's room and planted the earpiece. That had to be it; Andrews was a mole; an inside agent they sent to keep an eye on him.

Boy Scout ignored his question. "Oh and there's one more thing, we have a thing called a red alarm. It's when there's a seriously dangerous demon on the loose. So these red lights," he gestured to the lights on the walls, "will go off, and there's a loud ringing too."

Suddenly, the alarm went off, flooding the hallway with red light. "Something like that?!" Andrews yelled over the noise.

* * *

Clay sat in the back with them, explaining the situation. "There's a demoness out to steal a pretty important artifact, some sort of necklace. We've surrounded the museum, we just need you to get in and get it back."

Hellboy shrugged. "Who cares if the chick wants a fuckin' necklace? Let 'er have it."

"If she breaks the stone in that necklace, she'll unleash the hounds of hell onto our blue earth."

Red looked up from polishing his Samaritan. "Ah."

Andrews sat in between Liz and Abe. "So, is it always like this?"

"You bet yer ass, newbie. Either ya get used ta it, or ya end up dead." Liz elbowed the demon in the side. "Lighten up."

Andrews just smiled, "I'm sure it isn't that bad."

The garbage truck jostled to a stop, and the team got out. John grabbed his gun as he walked into the dark museum, scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary. A case of ancient Chinese scrolls, a tapestry, a statue of a woman...

The agent glanced back at the statue. _Wasn't that farther to the left before?_ He blinked, and the figure disappeared again, behind Hellboy. The demoness took off at a run, and John raced after her, yelling, "This way!"

The thief led him on a chase through the museum, leaving him completely confused. John resolved to find the person who built this place and give him a piece of his mind. The demoness skirted a dead end, sprinting to the adjoining room, and John hurried after her.

He would find the builder, of course, _after_ he got the demon.

She ran into the main gallery, moonlight spilling in from the sunlights on the ceiling. The demoness jumped for the bottom of a poster hanging twenty feet up and began to climb. John tried to go after her, but only managed to wrap a hand around her ankle. Behind him, he could hear loud footsteps. "Hang on, John!" Liz called.

John had every intention of doing that, until a voice sounded in his ear.

"Let go."

John looked around until he realized it was coming from his earpiece. "What? Why?"

The voice sighed. "The demon whose legs you're currently trying to dislocate is one of our agents. Let her go."

"But—"

"Do it John, or you know what happens." The agent let go and fell to the ground, watching the culprit climb the rest of the way up and disappear. _Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!_

Hellboy ran up past him and shot at the demoness a few times. "Fuck Scout, why'd you let go?"

John picked himself up. What was he going to say, s_orry Hellboy, I had to let her go because she works for the agency that threatening to kill you, Liz, and Abe if I don't do whatever they tell me to? _"I slipped. Sorry."

Andrews ran in, holding something in his hand. "I got the necklace, she must have dropped it." The five of them headed back for the back exit, and as they climbed into the truck, Andrew put a hand on John's shoulder and whispered, "Good job."

As they rode back to the BPRD headquarters, John wondered, which job was he talking about? Getting the necklace or letting the thief go?

* * *

John was semi-asleep when he heard a ringing in his ear.

"Wake up, John. We have something for you to do."

The agent jumped at the voice. "It's 3 am!"

"Good to see you know how to read a clock. Now get up and get your gun."

John stood and pulled on a shirt over his pants. "What do you want me to do?"

The voice laughed. "Patience. Now head out into the hall, take a left, and go into the third door on the right." John did as he said, and found himself in Agent Andrews room. The agent had fallen asleep sitting in his chair and John couldn't blame him. He'd had a rough first day.

"Why am I in here?" John was beginning to piece things together, but prayed that he was wrong.

"You're going to kill him."

John blanched and took a step back. "What?! Why? I thought he was one of yours."

The voice paused for a moment, and Boy Scout realized he had been right. "My, you're a fast one. He _was_ one of ours, but he recently grew himself a conscience, and we can't have that. Silence your gun and shoot him."

"But—I can't—I can't do it—"

The voice's tone didn't change, but the agent could sense a hint of malice. "You will or Liz has a coronary. It's your choice, him or her."

John swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat, and fired.

* * *

**OMFG!!** Kit, what's gonna happen!!

_Not te-e-elling!_

**PLEASE!!**

_Well, I'll make you a deal...I will tell you what happens...IF people get their asses in gear and REVIEW._

**REVIEW DAMNIT!! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!! PLEASE!! OR ELSE WE WERE SERIOUSLY TAKE THIS STORY DOWN!!**

_Kit &_ Violet


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, here you go! _

Please review! You've been doing that a lot, but the more the better!

_We've gotten some new reviewers **(Madomigal, Canadian Chucky, -x-Bashli-x-, Peekaboo42, dc4168)** as well as our power three **(Peya Luna, agentwhite, igbogal)**. _

_And let me point out something important: **your reviews affect our stories A LOT**!! The **NUMBER** of reviews affect **how fast we update**, and **what your comments say** affect the **storyline**. **Peya Luna** has already pointed out a couple of things that have **changed the story completely**!!_

So...more reason to review!!

_**Warnings: The usual**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot, Eli(Elijah), Caterina and 'Boss'...and maybe some more OC's later**_

_eDiT: I just remembered something! I've come up with a sequel for No Hard Feelings. We're going to put it up after we're finished with this one, **IF** you review enough. We're also closing the poll now, so expect ANOTHER two HB/J stories up soon. _

Oh, and maybe Abe/Johann! (This is a rather small pairing, ain't it?)

* * *

Agent Andrews parked his car outside the small office building, and slid his card through the scanner on the wall. He took the elevator down, watching the lights flash until they read; _Sublevel 14_. Getting out, he started down the labyrinth of hallways until he reached a thick metal door. Andrews knocked.

Thuds sounded as several locks and bolts mechanically undid themselves. "Come in."

Andrews walked in grinning. "Hey Boss, I'm back. Can you _be-fuckin'-lieve_ it? He actually shot me!"

The blonde haired man seated at the computer desk turned. "That's what we were _expecting_ Elijah. It's not like it hurt, did it?"

Andrews—or Elijah, as was his real name—grinned again and absently rubbed the hole in his forehead, feeling it healing under his touch. "Nah...not really."

"No surprise there. There's nothing in there to hurt." A feminine voice drawled uninterestedly from the semi-darkness of the room.

Eli glared at the young woman seated on the computer desk. She flipped her long black hair over her shoulder, looking at him coolly. "Speak for yourself, Caterina. _I'm_ not the one who dropped the necklace. _Or_ almost got caught."

The she-demon growled and unfurled her wings with a _snap_. "You're _pushing it_, Eli..."

The blonde haired young man silenced them both. He placed a hand on Caterina's thigh, and she hesitantly closed her wings. "It's alright Cat, I didn't need you to get it anyway. At least now we know what we want; he's willing to kill for his friends. That opens up _millions_ of doors of opportunities."

The bat demon laughed and looked at one of the computer monitors, a higher up angle of John Meyers's room. She nodded at the young man on the screen. "Look at him. You've completely fucked him up, Boss. Our little puppet's just waiting for someone to find out he murdered an agent; he honestly thinks he _killed_ Eli." Cat glanced at Eli. "Not that it would necessarily be a _bad_ thing."

Eli growled, his eyes flashing red. "You _fucking bitch_—", he started, but the young man at the desk silenced him with a glance. "I don't need you two arguing. Focus on the matter at hand, or I'll kill you both." Reluctantly, Eli stepped back.

"Hey Boss," Cat asked, pointing at one of the monitors, the one watching the study. "What about the fish freak? He can sense feelings and emotions and shit."

The man smiled at her. "Don't worry, John will stay away from him. And if he doesn't..." he patted the small blue knob, nestled between a red and a yellow one.

"_Ah._ Clever. So what are we going to make him do now?"

Eli coughed. "Damnit, I think I caught a draft with that goddamn hole in my head. But what _are_ we going to do with John now?"

Boss smiled. "We wait."

"For?" Caterina drummed her sharp claws on the wooden desk.

"For things to get interesting."

* * *

John sat on his bed, his head in his hands. What had he done? He had killed man—if he even was a man, for all he knew he could be a demon. Did he honestly expect to get away with it? Someone was going to find out, and somehow it was going to be tied back to him. John knew it would be physically impossible, but after what that man in the earpiece ordered him to do, for all he knew they would have him put away. They would find some way.

The agent forced himself to get up and get dressed in his uniform; it was about time to go give Hellboy his breakfast. John wordlessly got the cart and wheeled into to the demon's room, holding his breath as he passed Agent Andrew's room.

The demon was watching one of his many TV's when John walked in. Hellboy looked up from an old Tom and Jerry cartoon. "Hey Boy Scout. What's up?"

John wheeled the cart over to the small table that was in Hellboy's room. "Nothing."

Red looked at him suspiciously. "_Su-u-u-u-re_ Scout," he said, but didn't continue. Instead he flicked the TV off and grabbed a plate of pancakes. John turned to leave, but then asked, "Hey Red, have you been feeling kinda weird lately?"

The demon looked up from eating three pancakes at once. "What d'you mean?"

"No, I mean have you been feeling sick, like headaches or anything?" John glanced at Hellboy's back, and thought he could see two puncture wounds. Red gave him a look. "Um, no. Why?"

John opened his mouth to answer, but the voice cut him off. "Don't do it, John." The agent closed his mouth, his jaw clicking, and headed for the door. "No reason," he muttered as he disappeared.

* * *

Hellboy wandered the halls absently later, pondering what had happened that morning. What was wrong with Boy Scout? Suddenly, he spotted the agent leaning against the wall outside. The demon walked over and leaned on the wall next to him. "What's wrong, kid?"

John looked up at him. "Huh?"

Hellboy sighed. "Is there anything petrifying horrendous you wanna talk about?"

The agent moved to answer, but then remembered his earpiece. They would hear everything he would say. _Well, they said I couldn't take it off, but they never said I had to keep it _working_ all the time._ John quickly flicked it off. "Nothing's wrong, Hellboy."

The demon turned to look at him. "Yeah, right. You've been nervous all week, and you screwed up big time on that gig with the thief. What the hell is goin' on?!"

John turned to glare at him. "Well _excuse me_. Not _everyone_ is _perfect_ like you."

"Damn right."

The two looked at each other and then broke into grins. Red wondered, why was it so much fun to talk to Boy Scout? The demon started to say something, but another agent stuck his head out. "Hey, Manning's looking for the two of you."

John exchanged glances with Hellboy and they both headed down to the study. Manning stood at the desk, reading some thing from a piece of paper. He glanced up as John and Hellboy walked in, and then said, "I have some bad news."

Dread settled in the pit of John's stomach. _Oh no._

"It seems Agent Andrews had been transferred out. He left early this morning, just left a note."

John was shocked. "What?!"

Manning looked down at him. "I didn't know you were such friends with Andrews. Oh well."

John's shoulders dropped in relief. He didn't know how it was done, but the body was gone. Liz and Hellboy stood over by Abe's tank, talking with the icthyo-sapien. Suddenly Abe coughed, his gills flaring in surprise. Liz cocked her head to the side. "Are you okay Abe?"

Abe nodded. "Yes. I don't know where that came fro—" Abe coughed raggedly again, this time cerulean blood clouding in the water. He kept coughing, blood flooding his tank. "Abe!" Liz cried as Hellboy jumped into the tank, grabbing his friend. John stood shocked as his friends carried Abe out and towards the infirmary. Then he burst out of the study, into his room, and slammed the door shut. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded, "I hadn't done anything wrong!"

A female voice sounded in his ear. "_That_ was a warning. We can _always_ see you John; we _know_ you've been turning off your earpiece."

"Who are you? Where is the guy who's usually there?!"

"Boss is out at the moment, I'm filling in. But that's beside the point; you're smart, we know you know the dual meaning behind keep your earpiece _on_ at all times."

John sat on his bed. "You didn't have to hurt Abe!" he exclaimed, "You didn't have to make me kill Agent Andrews either! Why are you doing this?"

The young woman ignored his outburst. "Because we can. Stay sharp John, we'll be calling soon."

* * *

_Sorry it was kinda short, we're kinda swamped and I'm kinda writer-blocked..._

Reviews make writer's block go away!!

_Shut up, Vi. You're campaining us just like Palin is campaining on TV..._

Yeah, we're watching the Republican Covention.

_We're **FORCED **to...mom's watching it to yell at Palin when she **FALSELY ACCUSES** Russia of all sorts of bullshit._

Oh, in case you haven't caught this the million times we've dropped the hint, we're Russian but live in the US.

_Okay, so review but no flames. Now I'm off to add Vi to our bio page..._

**DON'T. YOU. DARE.**

_Watch me, bitch!!_

_Kit_ & Violet


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, here you go! Thanx agentwhite for your info on Max, and for getting us some more fans!! He doesn't appear much in this particular chapter, but he'll have his moment later. _

Another thing, Kit's started a new story.

_Yeah...one of our friend's birthday is coming up, and it's a John/OC fic. I know it isn't your guys' **FAVORITE** pairing, but bear with us and please read it. We would love to know what you think._

And we've posted on our bio the order of the stories that we're putting up.

_Check that out, and wish us luck on Golden Girl!_

_**Warning/Disclaimers: The usual, only Max Demone belongs to agentwhite.**_

_Oh yeah, before I forget, we're still accepting plot bunnies, so send away!_

* * *

Hellboy sat with Liz and John in the infirmary next to Abe's tube of water. "How ya feelin' buddy?"

Abe sighed and abandoned his Rubix Cube. "Fine, Hellboy."

"Do the doctors know why that happened," Liz asked, "You looked perfectly fine all day. And the day before!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Hellboy saw John tense up. The agent relaxed when Abe said no, and Hellboy frowned. "You glad Abe's okay, eh Boy Scout?"

The kid jumped and looked at him. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm really glad you're okay Abe. You had me worried for a second."

It was then Hellboy decided to spy on the agent.

* * *

John sighed as Hellboy ducked behind a wall as the agent walked past. It was hard to be an accomplished spy when you were bright red and twice the size of ordinary men. It didn't help either when you _loudly_ told people to "Go the fuck away" every time someone asked you what you were doing. John turned the corner to his room and asked, "Why are you following me, Hellboy?"

Red hid behind the corner of the wall, but then tried to come out like he had been walking all along, lighting a cigar. "Who, _me_? I ain't spyin' on you."

John arched an eyebrow. "Yes, you are. You've been following me all day. And not very sneakily either."

_Damn!_ Hellboy knew he was caught, but he pretended to be offended anyway. "Say what? You got a twisted imagination, kid! I ain't followin' you, _you've_ been leadin' me!"

Boy Scout opened the door, and motioned for Hellboy to shoo. The demon frowned and watched him disappear inside, only to hear the agent yell, _"Shit,"_ almost as soon as he was inside the steel door. Red took a few steps towards the room, but John came back out and shut the door behind him, blocking Hellboy's view of what was inside. "Oy, what the hell was that about?"

John looked flustered, his cheeks a light shade of red. "Nothing. Um, Red, don't you have somewhere to be?"

Hellboy's stomach growled as if on cue. It _was_ lunchtime, but his curiosity overpowered his hunger. "Nah, I'm positive there's somethin' in there." Despite John's protests, he pushed the agent out of the way, opening his door.

A girl lay on the agent's bed, her legs crossed and her fingers laced and resting on her stomach. The young woman's waterfall of long black hair shimmered as she stood. "Johnny!"

"Johnny...?" Hellboy repeated, shell-shocked. "Who the hell are you supposed ta be?"

The chick smiled and wrapped her arms around Boy Scout's neck. "I'm his girlfriend," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She placed a hand on John's back, and the agent jumped as if it hurt. "Sorry for scaring you, John, one of the other agents let me in. I've been wanting to see you forever."

John looked slightly panicked, but managed to stutter, "O-oh y-yeah. S-sorry to h-have made you w-wait. Le-let's g-go."

Hellboy watched, flabbergasted, as John and the girl walked out, and then ran straight to Liz. The fire-starter was sitting in the cafeteria with Clay, the two of them laughing about something. She looked up as Hellboy ran in. "What's up, Red?"

Red couldn't stop himself. "John's got a girlfriend!"

Clay arched his eyebrows. "Really? Good for him! What's her name, did he tell you?"

Hellboy didn't seem to hear him. "_Boy Scout_ has a _girlfriend_!" Liz rolled her eyes. "We got that, Red."

"He's ain't allowed to have a girlfriend!!"

Liz smirked and exchanged a smart-ass look with Clay. "_Ooh_, possessive much? Anyway, what's her name? Did John tell you?"

"No! I saw her!"

Clay looked up, alarmed. "You _saw_ her? What do you mean, you _saw_ her?"

Red sighed, frustrated, and rushed through his explanation. "So I was spyin' on Boy Scout—don't gimme that look, Liz—and then he caught me," the demon glared as Liz and Clay laughed, "_As I was sayin'_. So he told me to piss off, then walked into his room and yelled somethin'. Then he came out again, and bein' the _concerned friend_ I am, I asked what the hell was goin' on. He wouldn't tell me, so I opened his door and _BAM_, there the chick was!"

Liz had the same look on her face as Clay did. "She was _IN_ his room, Hellboy?"

Red growled. "Yeah, I told ya that. She said one of the agents let 'er in. What's yer point?"

Clay stood up and muttered something into his communicator. "Hellboy, this is a _secret agency_," he told the demon, "disguised as a _trash processing center_. No one comes within miles of here unless they're on the highway, and John isn't stupid enough to tell even his girlfriend about this place."

"Besides," Liz added, "She wouldn't be let in, either."

The conclusion clicked in Hellboy's head. He checked to make sure that his Samaritan was in its holster, and headed for the garbage truck. _"Fuck!"_

* * *

The young woman didn't retract her claws from John's back until they were in her car and on the highway. John sat in the passenger seat, wondering whether or not he could reach his gun and shoot her before she disarmed him, and whether or not he could control the car from his seat.

"Do try it," the girl said, "See what happens to your friends if you do."

So much for that idea. "Where are you taking me?" John asked.

She shrugged. "The park. It's a beautiful day outside."

The pair didn't say anything more until she had parked the car and they were on a bench. "So," she said, "Go ahead, ask me something. I know you want to."

John eyed the kids playing at the swing set a dozen feet away from them. Shit. She had brought them to a public place, where he couldn't challenge her, but she could threaten him with the lives of the children over there. "Why are you doing this?"

She smiled. "Because we can. Because we want to. Because it's fun."

The agent frowned. "What's your name?"

"Caterina."

"What are you?"

John heard something snap, and flinched, thinking he had pried too far. Then he realized that Caterina had taken off her leather jacket, two wings folded on her back. "I'm a bat demon."

John surveyed the kids, and briefly wondered if he could make a break for it, but he knew he couldn't. She probably had a remote or something; if he misbehaved, she would fry Liz's cells. "Why are you doing this?"

Caterina gave him a look. "Kinda stupid, ain't ya? You already asked me that."

"No," John clarified, "Why are you doing _this_, taking me out here. Are you on my side?"

Caterina laughed, a beautiful sound coming from someone so sinister. "Of course not. Boss sent me out here, to...test you some more. Make things more interesting."

The agent's head turned. "What do you mean?" The demoness pointed to a garbage truck that had parked next to a small grove of trees, nowhere near a garbage can. _Hellboy,_ John thought, and jumped when Caterina placed a clawed hand on his shoulder. "Follow me."

She led him into the woods, surprisingly not across the playground field, but to the same side the truck was parked. As soon as they were out of the sight of the playground, she whirled him around and pressed a claw to his neck. "Come out, come out wherever you are, or I slit his throat."

A loud click sounded behind them, and John felt Caterina froze. Liz, Abe, Clay and several other agents came out of the trees in front of him, which only meant that Hellboy stood behind Caterina with a gun to her head. "Peek-a-boo," the demon growled.

Stubbornly, Caterina tightened her grip on his neck, and John could feel something warm trickle down his neck. _Why is she doing this,_ John thought, _there's no way she could survive one of the Samaritan's bullets head on!_

Suddenly the voice sounded in his ear. "Caterina will come out of this unscathed, John."

The agent understood. He was to try to convince Hellboy not to kill the demoness who was currently holding him hostage. "Hellboy," he choked, "Don't kill her."

From the looks off the others' faces, he could guess that they were thinking he was insane. Hellboy sounded completely baffled. "Are ya goin' nuts, Boy Scout?" he demanded, "_She's_ gonna kill _you_!"

John opened his mouth to answer, but the voice reminded him, "Not a scratch." The agent pitched forward, taking Caterina with him, the Samaritan's bullet flying over her head. As Liz and Abe rushed forward to help John, Caterina flipped up and scrambled out of the trees, streaking across the playground. John jumped to his feet, watching the bat demon start her car and drive off.

A pair of hands wrapped around him, Liz hugging him. She pulled away, frowning darkly. "What the hell were you _thinking_, John, going off with her?"

Everyone's eyes settled on him, and John swallowed. "I—I had to get her away from the BPRD, didn't I?" Nobody seemed convinced. Suddenly, Liz's face contorted with pain, and gashes suddenly appeared all over her body, pouring blood. The fire-starter blacked out and Clay caught her before she hit the ground, hauling her up and carrying her back to the truck. As the others ran after him, John shouted into the grove, "Why did you hurt Liz?!"

The voice answered immediately, in a matter-of-fact voice. "Caterina had a scratch."

* * *

John hurried away as he saw Liz walking down the hallway, her arms and neck covered with gauze. Before anyone could see him, he ducked into his room, locking the door, turning around and stifling a shout. A young man, fifteen or sixteen, sat on his bed, running a hand through his black hair absently. "What are you doing?!" John hissed, "I understand sending Caterina, but what are people going to think when they see _you_?!"

The young man jumped and quickly raised his hands. "Hey, relax," he said, "I'm on your side!"

John eyed him suspiciously, but crossed the room and sat down in one of his chairs anyway. "Then who are you! Why are you here!"

The young man smiled gently. "My name's Max. Max Demone. I'm in the same boat as you."

"What do you mean?"

Max gestured to a small band around his neck. "They caught me a few years ago. I've been forced to work for them ever since."

John's suspicion melted away, and was replaced by pity. Max was just a boy, he should be in school, not doing whatever 'Boss' was forcing him too. "Why did they want you?" John asked.

Max tapped his head, and then brought his hands together, a small blue ball of plasma energy forming in between them. John nodded. "Oh. So why are you _here_?"

Max frowned. "I'm here to tell you that—" he glanced at a camera darkly. "Can we go somewhere else? Where we're not watched?"

John snuck him out into the 'backyard', ducking behind a pair of utility sheds. "Okay, there are no cameras."

Max took a deep breath. "I came to tell you to give up. There's no way to get away from them. If you behave they might kill your friends quickly."

John blanched. "Are you telling me there's no way to beat them?! That can't be true, there has to be _something_!"

Max glared. "Don't you think I've tried? I've been trying for _three years_! There's nothing I can do! They—"

The teen stopped suddenly and looked around frantically. John was puzzled until he saw that the small band around Max's neck was _tightening_. He quickly pulled out a pocketknife and tried to cut through it, only to be electrocuted for his efforts.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," a female voice above them said, "Pets shouldn't be running around outside, should they Eli?"

John's head snapped up, and the agent saw Caterina and _Agent Andrews_ standing on top of the shed. Andrews—_whose real name must be Eli,_ John figured—grinned and watched Max struggle with his collar. "No Cat, they shouldn't." In one swift movement, something shout out from the demon's back and snatched Max up—tentacles, John realized. Eli held Max high over his head, the teen fighting to get free. "Be careful or I'll drop you on your head."

Cat smiled. "Don't Eli, that brain of his is the only reason we keep him around." The bat demon looked down at John, who stood helpless. "We were never here, John, you heard nothing." She stopped to consider something. "Well, Maxy _did_ say something valuable. Give up John, there's no way you can get away." With that, the two demons turned and disappeared.

John stared the place they were before, sighing. Could things get any worse?

Suddenly, a voice sounded from across the yard. "Hey, Boy Scout! I need ta talk ta ya!"

* * *

Yeah, hope you enjoyed! Now go read Golden Girl!!

_Okay, and the end of The Names We Call Ourselves is coming soon and Forgive and Forget is in the planning stages. _

Kit, what's F&F about?

_(whispers)_

OMFG!! READ IT! READ IT!

_...You have GOT to stop doing that. But please read Golden Girl, we would really appreciate it._

_Kit &_ Violet


	6. Chapter 6

_I have to rush, and my internet is shutting down, so please enjoy!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual!**_

* * *

John seriously considered running. As he turned around to see Hellboy trotting up to him, he honestly considering turning tail and making a run for his Ducati. But before he could make any decisions, Hellboy had already come over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We gotta talk."

Hellboy watched John sink into one of the overstuffed armchairs that were in his room as the demon closed the door. He crossed the room and sat on his bed, scattering cats everywhere, and looked at the agent. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

John glanced at him, surprised. "Huh? What do you mean? Nothing's wrong."

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Red snapped, "There's somethin' goin' on that you ain't tellin' us about, and I wanna know what it is!"

Boy Scout sighed and stood. "Hellboy, you're my _friend_. Don't you think that if something was wrong, I'd _tell_ you about it?"

"Oh _yeah_? So _tell_ me. Why the hell are you wearin' that stupid earpiece all the time? Why d'you leave with that chick yesterday; yer smarter than that! Why do ya always stop for a second before answerin' a question?"

"Hellboy, you're just imagining things." John turned to leave, but Hellboy stood up and grabbed his arm, pressing him into the wall. "I ain't imaginin' nothin'," he growled, "Tell. Me. What's. Wrong."

John stared back at the demon with the same stony expression. "Nothing is wrong, Hellboy." The agent weaseled out of the demon's grasp and left.

"Oh my _God_, could you be any more in love with him?"

Hellboy jumped about a foot in the air, and then whirled around to see Liz coming out of his bathroom. "How long have you been in there?!"

The fire-starter grinned. "Long enough. I can't believe I didn't see it before, you're _in love_ with _John_!!"

Red spluttered, unable to collaborate a response. Finally he settled on, _"Huh?!"_

Liz circled around him. "Oh, come on Red, I can't believe you don't get it. You were so jealous of that Andrews guy, and you looked ready to smash the table to smithereens when you thought he had a girlfriend!" She stopped and crossed her arms. "You had better tell him, Hellboy."

Hellboy threw his hands up. "Okay, s'pposin' I _do_ love Scout," he jabbed a finger at the smirking fire-starter, "But I _ain't admittin' nothin'_, what am I s'pposed ta do 'bout it?!"

Liz sighed exasperatedly. "You _tell_ him, Red!"

"Yeah, but what do I say?"

"Generally in these types of situations, 'I love you' works pretty damn well." Hellboy whirled around again as Clay and Abe stood by his door. Red noticed the smirk on Clay's face. "Ah crap. Don't tell me you two were hidin' out in my room too."

Abe shook his head, smiling. "No, you're just easy."

Liz snapped her fingers in front of Hellboy's face. "Hey, don't change the topic. You better tell John ASAP."

"But—"

"You tell him or _we_ will, Red," Liz said. The demon stood there for a moment, but then groaned in frustration. "Fine."

* * *

John lay down on his bed, sighing.

"That was close, John."

The agent was startled as he heard the voice in his ear. "I know. I'm sorry, I can't help that Hellboy is beginning to notice something's up."

The voice sounded sharp. "Sorry doesn't cut it, John. _We're_ beginning to suspect that your red oaf isn't _noticing_ it by himself, but that you're hinting it to him." The knob began to turn ever so slightly. "And of course you know what _happens_ if you're trying to trick us..."

John sat up straight. "No please, don't. Let me prove it to you; I'll do whatever you want."

There was a smile in Boss's voice. "Good to know you're volunteering for this one. We need you to steal something for us. Just a little trinket, nothing big."

"Does this trinket have any super powers?"

Boss laughed. "Now you're thinking like one of us! It does, and I say quite literally that heads will roll if you fail. A certain genius is nearing the end of his rope..."

_Max._ "O-okay. D-don't hurt him; he has nothing to do with this. Just tell me where it is, and how I can get it."

"Good boy. Tonight at seven, you'll leave. Eli will be waiting for you two miles down the highway in a red Ferrari. He'll give you what you need and instructions. Get in, get the trinket, and get out."

* * *

Just as John was preparing to leave, the red alarm went off. Swearing to himself, Boy Scout joined the others in the briefing room, anxious to leave. Manning walked in but before he could start speaking, John began, "Sir, I need to leave."

Manning glared at him. "Really? And _why_ is _that_, Agent Meyers?"

John paused, not knowing what to say. The others looked at him, waiting for an answer, and Hellboy arched an eyebrow as if to say, _Well?_

"You were promised this time off a while ago," the voice told him.

"I-I was given this time off a while ago," John stammered. Manning checked his PDA, and nodded. "You're right. Well then, it looks like Agent Meyers will have to sit this one out."

John's shoulders sagged in relief as he quickly grabbed his helmet and headed out, mounting his Ducati. Exactly two miles on the highway, John spotted the red Ferrari half hidden in the trees. He pulled over and Eli came out to meet him. The demon noticed John's tense look, and asked, "What? Oh, right, I'm supposed to be dead." He grinned. "You have bad aim, _Boy Scout_."

John didn't meet Eli's eyes. "Just give me the stuff and let me do my job."

Eli walked over to the Ferrari and pulled out a case. "Geez, pissy aren't we? What's wrong, have somewhere to be?" He tossed the agent the case. Curious, John began to open it, but Eli stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. That's a time stop. The bracelet is in the museum I put in your directions; when you get there, open the case. Time will freeze until you close the case again."

John nodded and started off. Soon, much sooner than he would have like, the museum loomed above his head. Surprisingly, the door was open, but John reasoned,_ if they have a cube that stops time, they can certainly unlock a few doors._

Almost as soon as the agent walked in, he tripped over a laser beam, and the alarms beginning to blare. Frantically, he opened the case, and the alarms went dead, their echoes still ringing in his ears. John walked past petrified guards and flashing computer screens, scanning the directions for the Chinese artifacts. As he finally found it, he spotted the bracelet front and center on a table labeled, 'Supposedly Cursed Artifacts'.

Pulling out the laser point cutter Eli had also given him; John cut a small circle in the glass. Just as the agent reached for the bracelet, a rough hand wrapped around his other wrist and a gruff voice muttered, "Looks like I caught me a thief."

* * *

_Dun, Dun, Dun! From here on out the story gets twisted! Please review if you want to read more, I can hold out on updating for a really long time!_

_Kit_


	7. Chapter 7

_Here you go!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Hellboy groaned as he, Abe, Liz, Johann and Clay sat in the back of the garbage truck, plodding their way to some museum somewhere downtown to protect something from someone. "Goddamnit," Hellboy complained, "Why the hell are we watching this stupid bracelet? Don't they have people for this guardin' thing...y'know, _guards_?"

Clay rolled his eyes. "Because HB, these guards are fifty-something year old men. How are they honestly gonna stand up to a demon bent of stealing some cursed bracelet?"

"Why the fuck are these demons wantin' with all these jewels anyhow? Why don't they go rob a fuckin' Zales?"

The truck lurched to a stop, and the team got out, eyeing the museum with distaste. As they walked in, Liz stifled a scream when she ran face to face with a petrified guard. "What's wrong with him?" she hissed.

Johann came up and flicked the man. "Hmm," he said, "It seems zat he is frozen."

"In ice?"

Johann looked at Abe, who had asked the question. "No. In time. Zere is a time stopper somevere in ze vicinity, vich must be vhy he is standing so still."

Hellboy pulled out his Big Baby—the Samaritan was being de-gooed—and checked the bullets. "Great, so no stupid old guys to bug us. Let's just get this scumbag and go home. I'm hungry."

The team split up, Abe and Liz taking the Egyptian exhibits, Johann disappeared into the prehistoric area, and Hellboy crept into the Chinese artifacts room. Someone was already there, bent over the 'Supposedly Cursed Artifacts' table, a laser cutter in their hands. Red snuck around him—because they looked like a guy—and grabbed him by the wrist. "Looks like I caught me a thief," he quipped.

The person turned and Hellboy's jaw nearly dropped off. It couldn't be, it was impossible. The demon tightened his grip on the person's wrist, and they winced. "John?" Red demanded, "Is that you?"

John's—or the thief that looked like John—foot flashed out, catching Hellboy in the groin. The demon dropped to his knees and the thief ran. By the time Hellboy's eyes had stopped watering enough to let him stand, Liz, Abe and Johann had found him. "Damnit," Liz swore, "He got away with the bracelet."

Hellboy frowned and closed his fist around the object in his hand as they headed back to the truck. "Yeah, but I think I got his number," he said grimly.

* * *

Hellboy caught John as he was walking to the cafeteria, pulling the agent into his room and shutting the door behind them. The demon pulled out John's earpiece and crushed it, ignoring the agent's protests. "Where were ya yesterday?"

John blinked in surprise. "I told you, Hellboy, I had time off. I went to go visit some friends, it was a birthday."

The demon sighed and held up a watch, one that looked exactly like John's. "Oh yeah, then what's this?"

John's eyes widened briefly, but then he answered coolly, "It's a watch."

"It's _your_ watch."

The agent swallowed thickly. "No it's not."

Red gritted his teeth. "Yeah? Then where's yours?" John unconsciously wrapped a hand around the wrist that he usually wore his watch on. "I-I don't know. I m-must have left it at m-my friend's house."

"Shut up, John," Hellboy said, "I found this at the museum we were guardin' last night. You dropped it. What were you doin' robbin' a museum?"

Boy Scout's eyebrows furrowed. "It isn't possible for this to be a coincidence? I'm sure millions of other men have the same watch as me."

Red slammed his fist into the wall next to John's head. "Coincidences like this are impossible!"

John's eyes flashed angrily, and he took a step forward, snatching the watch from the demon. "Really?" he snapped, "It's _impossible_? It's _impossible_ for me to be talking to a seven foot tall red demon, but I am! It's _impossible_ for me to say that I work in a secret organization along with you and Blue and Liz, but I can! It's _impossible_ for me to love you so fucking much, but I do!"

Red opened his mouth to come back with a remark, but then his brain processed what John had said, and his insults died in his throat. "What?" he asked.

Meanwhile John, realizing what he said and blushing crimson, clapped a hand over his mouth and darted out of the room.

* * *

Hellboy spent the rest of the day in a happy daze, despite his misgivings. Liz gave him a look as she walked into his room as he absently lifted weights. "What's got you in such a good mood? Did you tell John?"

Red looked up from his weights. "No. He told me."

Liz looked surprised, but then frowned. "Did _you_ tell _him_, or did you let him run off?" The demon stopped; he knew the _you-fucked-up_ tone in the fire-starter's voice when he heard it. "Um...well...funny story 'bout that, Liz..."

The woman sighed and stepped up to Hellboy, yanking his ear, the demon yelping in pain. "Ow! What the _fuck_ are you—"

"You know very well _what_, Red. Tell him, or I'll rip your ear off." Hellboy raised his hands in submission. "Fine, fine! Just let go of my ear!!" The fire-starter released him and pointed at the door. Groaning, the demon went in search of the agent.

* * *

John hurried back to his room, locking himself in, and praying that Hellboy was too disgusted to follow him. He sighed in relief, at the least Boss didn't hear him.

The agent stiffened. The _earpiece_! Hellboy had crushed it! _Oh fuck, oh fuck, now what?_ John looked around his room, expecting a sniper or something, but instead he found a small note on his bed, along with another earpiece. _'Strike two'_, the note said. For some reason, these two words were scarier to John then the demons he faced on a regular basis. Quickly, he put the gadget in his ear, feeling it seal to his ear.

A sudden knock on his door startled John. Quickly, he opened his door, only to attempt to shut it again. Effortlessly, Hellboy threw open the door, the wooden slab creaking on its hinges as the force slammed it closed. John turned away from the demon, staring at the wall. "I don't want to talk, Hellboy."

"Yeah, well neither do I." A rough hand spun him around, and John was pressed into the wall as Hellboy kissed him. John gasped in shock and tried to pull back, but his back was to the wall. Red took the advantage to stick his tongue in John's mouth, tasting the agent. _Hmm, mint,_ Red noted absently. The demon could feel the human relax under him, and Hellboy moved John's lips and began to suck on his neck.

John was in heaven, this was almost too good to be true. John nearly howled in protest when Hellboy moved away, much to the demon's amusement. "Listen, John," Red started, "I'm not really good with words, much less with this feelin' crap, but Liz said if I don't tell ya, she's gonna kill me in my sleep. So, um...I love ya?"

"I hate you."

John blinked when the Boss spoke in his ear. "What?"

"I. Hate. You. Say it, John."

Red was giving him an odd look, but the agent hissed, "What? Why?" In his ear, he could hear the knob begin to turn. "Say it."

"Hey, John," Hellboy was waving a hand in front of his face, "Are you okay?"

John swallowed thickly. "I-I hate y-you."

Boss had a smirk in his voice. "Good boy. Now turn around and leave. Get on your Ducati and leave." Without another word, John turned and left, leaving a shell-shocked Hellboy behind.

* * *

_Enjoy and review! Sorry, I'm in a rush, my mom is yelling for me to get off!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry it's taken so long, but I've been uber-stressed, and sick, and I can't focus and I'm basically living off of Tylenol. Anyway, we have a few announcements._

_1. After Choice, I'm taking a little bit of a break from the John/HB category. Some of my friends' birthday's are coming up, and I'm writing some fanfics for them. It would really make my day if you read them._

_2. I have come up with a **sequel** for Missing, so expect that **after the B-Day fanfics**. _

_3. Thank you Vi, (who ain't here right now), for posting my story ideas. It really helped._

_4. I will be **tallying your reviews** for **all of my stories**, and the person who **reviewed the most** will get a **prize**!_

_5. I'm also starting up another Chuck story. Not really a STORY, per se, but...oh, well you'll see._

_6. I'm am currenly reading some of your guys' stories, sorry it is taking so long, like I said, I'm not really myself. dc4168, I'm almost done; agentwhite, haven't gotten to yours yet; CC (If you're still reading), **OMFG**, don't even get me started. Headache in the making._

_7. I'm in a seriously bad mood, so just a reminder; **IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THIS PAIRING AND/OR YAOI, FUCK OFF. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT. IF YOU INSIST ON READING, IT'S YOUR OWN FUCKING FAULT FOR READING THIS. DON'T BITCH TO ME.**_

_Okay, final thing, sorry it's short, but I had to post something, and my brain isn't functioning properly...so you can tell how that's snowballing. Red finally gets on the train, and John does some serious twisted shit. Be warned._

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual.**_

* * *

"I-I hate y-you."

Hellboy stood, shocked. First the kid started muttering to himself, and now this? The agent spun on his heel and walked out. The demon stood there a moment, and then took off down the hallways, yelling, "Abe! Clay! Liz! Hurry!"

The mentioned people ran out into the hallway from the study, and unfortunately Manning was with them. "What do you want, Hellboy?" the Director demanded, but Hellboy ignored him, instead turning to the others.

"John and me were talkin'," he gasped, "And all of a sudden, it's like he's talking to someone—I betcha there _was_ someone in that fuckin' earpiece of his!—and then he tells me he hates me and takes off! We gotta go after him!"

* * *

By the time the BPRD got teams together and pulled out on the highway, John was already several dozen miles away. Boss chuckled in his ear. "That was an interesting turn of events, wasn't it, John?"

The agent didn't answer, so the man on the other end continued. "Oh, I don't suppose you're upset, are you?" John could imagine the boss shrugging. "Too bad, not my problem."

"Just tell me where you want me to go, and what you want me to do," John snapped, swerving as he nearly crashed into an eighteen-wheeler. Boss sighed. "Now then John, don't go killing yourself yet. You know the old lighthouse by the dells?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Go there. And you better hurry; _Red's_ probably got half the BPRD on your tail."

John parked his Ducati in the grassy ground near the old lighthouse. The giant lightbulb burned out years ago, but the lighthouse was still in good shape, sticking out like a finger from the rocky cliff it bordered. Beyond the cliff, John could hear the waves crashing against the rocks.

"John!"

The agent whirled around, to see Liz, Abe, Clay, Red, and at least two dozen agents parking BPRD vans on the grass. Liz took a step forward, and Boss snapped in his ear, "Start walking backwards." John started taking slow steps back, and the anxiety on his friends' faces grew. Finally, Boy Scout's heel hit the edge, and he looked back, the ocean yawning down below him.

"John," Clay called through a mega-phone, "Step away from the edge." Boss countered with, _"Don't budge."_

"John, _please_," Liz begged, "Come here. Whatever's wrong, you can tell us. Please, don't do this."

"Boss, I don't have anywhere else to go," John hissed, "I have to go to them."

Boss chuckled. "Oh, I wouldn't say you have nowhere to go." John looked puzzled for a moment, but then he realized. "You don't mean—"

"I do. Off the edge, John. Jump."

The agent swallowed thickly, but didn't move, testing the ground behind him with a tentative foot. Abe's hand flew to his mouth as he realized what the agent was about to do, and he hurriedly whispered in Clay's ear. The older agent's eye widened, and he started, "John, _don't_. You don't have to do that, just come away from the edge."

But John didn't hear him. In his mind's eye, he saw the knob turning, and his friends dying a bloody, painful death. Taking a deep breath, the agent spread his arms wide and fell.

* * *

Red sat silent with shock as they slowly took the highway back to the headquarters, replaying in his mind how John had just spread his arms and jumped. Liz and Abe sat across from him equally shocked. The fire-starter buried her head in her hands, and Abe placed a comforting hand on her back. "How didn't we see something?" she mumbled, shaken, "Why would he...?"

Abe looked forlorn. "He played his part well; he didn't look like anything was wrong."

Liz's head snapped up, her eyes blazing. "He jumped off of a fucking cliff, Abe!" she snapped, "Everything was wrong if he would just kill himself! We were fucking blind!" Abe flinched, and the woman sighed. "Sorry Abe, I shouldn't have snapped. I...I just don't get it, how could he not trust us? We're supposed to be a family, and we didn't—didn't—"

Red sat through their conversation without saying a word. Liz was right, how the fuck didn't they notice anything? Only now they realized it—_when it was too fucking late, _Hellboy thought bitterly.

The truck pulled up to the BPRD, and Clay opened the doors. "Manning wants us to get to the bottom of this." He turned to Hellboy. "Do you have any ideas?"

The demon thought hard, and then brightened. If Boy Scout was gone, then Red would at least take feral pleasure in killing the bastards that pushed him to it limb from limb in the cruelest and most creative ways possible. "His earpiece," the demon said, "I crushed it in my room."

Five minutes later, Clay bent over the carnage of the earpiece, inspecting it under the microscope. The agent sat back, and Hellboy glanced at him with tense anticipation.

"I don't know what it is," the agent admitted, "It's an earpiece, sure, but it's at least ten years ahead of what we're supposed to be making. It's gotta be demons." Abe spread his hands over the piece and then asked, "What about the security cameras?"

Clay shrugged, and loaded up the video, nothing looked out of the ordinary. "Checked it. Nothing's suspicious."

Li squinted and pointed into a corner of the feed. "No, this is just a sim. I can tell." The fire-starter sat down, her fingers flying at dizzying speeds over the keyboard. Red gaped. "How did you...?"

Liz smirked. "I've had practice." With a smug click, she sat back, and the four watched the real videos; a strange young woman breaking into John's room and placing what looked like an earpiece on his bed. John _shooting_ Agent Andrews, and then the agent _getting up_ no more than five minutes later, making a phone call—grinning the entire time—and taking off. The same woman, and then a young man—here Red blanched—sitting on his bed when the agent walked in. Slowly, a horror story unfolded in front of them.

"Oh shit. Boy Scout."

* * *

John expected to feel ice cold water swallow him, or at least the smash of his bones on the rocks. But he didn't.The agent cracked an eye open, and was surprised to finding himself lying on a table in the corner of a strange room. "Where am I?" he mumbled without thinking.

Something shifted across from him, and a light flicked on. Eli and Caterina stood above him, the bat demon grinning sadistically.

"Welcome to _Hell_."

* * *

_The next chapter will be the last...hope you like the story. I'm off to drown myself in herbal tea._

_Kit_


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay, so this isn't the last chapter, but we had to post something._

Sorry we couldn't get it up earlier, but Kit had to spend the weekend with her dad and the story was on her computer and she's the only one that has the password to her laptop...

_Hey! Don't blame it on me! Like you couldn't call! But anyway, the winner of the review contest was agentwhite, with Peya Luna and igbogal close behind. The prize was that you got to choose a story and we'd tell you what it was about._

Lame, we know, but oh well.

_Anyway, enjoy._

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual.**_

* * *

John glanced around as Caterina and Eli led him down another identical hallway, and remembered something from his FBI training: _An enemy, especially a perfectionist, revels in the fact that he can confuse intruders and enforce his own rules on his underlings. This often means identical hallways and looming doors; bosses like the fact that they can change their underlings' surrounding at any moment._

Unfortunately for John, this meant that if he managed to somehow escape without putting his friends' lives in danger, he would have a hell of a time trying to get out. The agent briefly glanced at Caterina and Eli, the latter absently reforming the joints in his fingers. John had figured out that Eli didn't have tentacles, but could manipulate his skin and bones in different ways.

Suddenly, a side door opened up, and a young man with messy, dirty-blonde hair walked out. The demons next to John froze as the newcomer looked at them. He smiled at Caterina. "Oh, hey Boss." Caterina didn't move, and the young man arched his eyebrow again. "Need something, _Boss_?"

Eli seemed to recover first from whatever it was that was bothering them and shook his head. The two quickly rushed John down several corridors, picked a door and shoved him in, locking the door behind him.

John realized he was in a room; a pair of bunks crammed in a corner, and a mass of computer technology piled everywhere else.

"Hey, John," a voice said from the mess of wires, "It's good to see you!" They paused, "But it's horrible you're _here_."

The agent looked closer, and picked out Max, the boy fiddling with something John couldn't see. "Max! Thank God you're alright!"

The genius shrugged. "Of course. Zane needs me around more than he'll admit." He stretched his head up over a motherboard to look at the agent, and John saw a raw line around his neck from where the collar used to be. "What happened to your neck?"

Max winced and rubbed the wound. "Eli was having too much fun with the collar—it broke— and Zane didn't bother to build another one. I'm nano-ed now; same thing that's happened to your friends, only not as strong."

John nodded, still disgusted by the sadism of his captors. He gestured to all the computer parts fighting the young man for space on the floor. "What is all this?"

"I'm a genius, aren't I? Zane can't bother himself with building all this stuff—he only deals with their weapons— so it's my job to invent or fix whatever he wants me to."

John realized that the other man wasn't working on something for Zane. "Which is why you're building with your back to the camera."

Max grinned and gestured for the agent to kneel, and whispered, "The camera doesn't have sound—I'm at least allowed that liberty—but Caterina can read lips. I can't tell you what this is, because the nanos in my blood would pick it up, and Zane would know how to counter it, but I'll tell you this, it can help you, if you're up for it."

John nodded. "Are you sure you should be telling me this?"

Max shrugged. "As long as they don't know what it is, they can't find it. Zane's already sent some drones to pick this place apart, but since they're about as smart as toothpicks and they don't know what it looks like, _and_ since they can't take everything without damaging the stuff Zane wants fixed, they had no choice but to give up."

"You said it would help if I were up to it. What are the risks?"

Max didn't look him in the eye. "I think you can guess."

John considered the unspoken answer, and thought of Liz, Abe and Hellboy. He nodded. "I'll do it."

* * *

Caterina and Eli took off for the control room, the steel door trembling on its hinges as they burst in. The blonde sat at his desk in the darkness, the multiple computer screens on the opposite wall the only source of light. The blonde turned to regard the two nonchalantly. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't break the door."

The bat demon crossed the room and sat down on the desk. Eli grinned smugly. "So...what was with the deal in the hallway?"

"It makes our lives easier if he doesn't know who runs this operation."

"_About_ this operation..."

The young man looked up at Caterina, who was sitting with her brows furrowed. "Boss—_Zane_—are you sure we should still be doing this? They've already figured out John is working for someone, and that bitch hacked through your sims. Maybe we should call this off."

Zane arched an eyebrow. "Cat, no reason to get cold feet now. It doesn't matter if they know; they won't be able to do anything about it. John is our pawn, they can't kill him, and he'll do whatever we say, or else we kill his friends. They're at an impasse."

"Speaking of which," Eli said, "What happens next? We have John, and he can't keep stealing shit for us, 'cause the cops will be on the lookout for him."

Zane grinned and pulled out a roll of blue paper, handing it to the others. Cat unrolled it gingerly, and she and Eli gaped at the blueprints. Zane watched the two smugly. "I say we take John and Max out to _play_."

* * *

Max jumped away from John when several drones burst into the room, grabbing the two and hauling them down the corridors. Max twisted in the man's grip. "What the hell are you doing?! Put us down!"

"My, Max, I didn't know you hated me that badly."

John turned to see the blonde from the hallway, Caterina and Eli framing his sides, a satisfied smirk gracing his face. Max glared. "You don't know the half of it, Zane. What the hell do you want me to fix this time?"

Zane put a hand to his heart, pretending to be hurt. "Rude, aren't we? Anyway, I don't need you to fix anything; Cat, Eli and I have one last job for John."

John's eyes narrowed. "So what does Max have to do with it?" Surely Zane could want him to do..._that_? He had thought that they still needed Max, maybe he was wrong.

Eli scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Bookworm's coming with us, dipshit." Caterina glanced at the agent's hand, and grinned. "Nice ring. Did _Red_ give it to you?" John chose not to answer, and the bat demon laughed. Zane gave her a glance, "No need to anger your partner, Cat. Besides, he's already going to flip when he realizes the heist zone."

John swallowed nervously. "Where?" he asked. Zane yawned absently. "The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense."

* * *

The suspense!!

_Kit &_ Violet


	10. Chapter 10

_Okay, this is the end! This one is dedicated to agentwhite, cause it's his B-Day!_

Happy B-Day!!

_Anyway, there isn't a lemon because my head still hurts really bad, and trying to churn out a lemon **now**...well, I'll save you the torture. Well, enjoy, and please, please, please read the OC stories, I would **really** appreciate your guys' feedback!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual. Thanks again agentwhite for letting us use Max.**_

* * *

John leaned against the doorway as he watched Max disable the alarm on the BPRD mainframe, the metal gates swinging open. Zane and his crew walked down the front path, Caterina sneaking ahead. By the time they reached the main lobby, the front guard was already incapacitated, Cat sitting behind the controls. Silently, she opened the lift, and the burglars were lowered into the BPRD headquarters.

Zane turned to John. "Which way to the computer bank?" John gestured down a hallway, and Boss turned to some others. "You take Max and hack into the files. I want everything." As the drones dragged Max off, the boy winked at John. The agent started after them, but Eli grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. "No way, John. We're going _that_ way." Caterina and Eli split off, taking a corridor to their left, and Zane turned to John, handing him a wristwatch. As soon as he attached it to his wrist, a thin metal spike protruded from the top, shining menacingly.

"What's this for?" John asked.

Zane just grinned. "We'll see how much the BPRD is worth once it loses it paranormality."

* * *

John soon found out what the boss meant. Zane led him to Liz's room, using a tiny button-shaped piece of technology to pick the lock. Liz was asleep on her bed, several of Hellboy's cats sprawled next to her. Zane crossed to the fire-starter and in one swift motion, pricked her hand with the needle on his watch. Liz began to glow, and her skin paled considerably. John watched in horror. "What did you do," he hissed, but Zane gave him the grin. "Let's see her try to light something on fire now."

Suddenly John realized what they were doing. Zane and his team were stealing powers from the BPRD team, as well as all their files. Cat and Eli must have gotten to Abe by now; imagine Manning's horror when he woke up tomorrow to find his team..._human_.

The two snuck out of Liz's room, heading down the hallway to Hellboy's room. As they opened the door the same way they had Liz's, John pulled out his needle—it was better Hellboy be human than dead—but Zane stopped him and tossed him a dagger.

John paled. "What—what am I-I supposed to do w-with th-this?"

Zane gave him a look, rolling his eyes. "You kill him."

"What?! Why would I do that?!" John was confused, and the panic rising in his throat wasn't helping.

"Because I would kill him if you didn't."

"That doesn't make any sense! Either he dies or he dies!"

Zane shrugged and tweaked a knob on his watch's face, which turned red. He smirked, "But think about it this way; either you kill him quickly, or I make him suffer slowly until his heart shuts down. Your choice."

John swallowed and started over to Hellboy, who was sprawled out on his bed snoring. He raised the dagger above his head...and Hellboy woke up.

* * *

Hellboy had been awake ever since he heard the lift coming down. Someone was up, and it sounded like quite a few someones. The demon first thought it was some of the agents, but banished the thought when the _locked_ door of his room opened. What kind of _idiot_ broke into a _demon's_ room in the middle of the _night_?

Someone started murmuring, and Hellboy picked out John's voice. The demon almost sat up, but it seemed like they were coming to him. Red opened his eyes a crack and nearly jumped; John stood above him, knife in hand. As the agent faltered, Hellboy swung his arm up, knocking the human to the ground and jumped on top of him.

John was taken completely by surprise as Hellboy jumped up, knocking him down and straddling his hips. The agent's knife flew to the demon's throat, and Hellboy paused. "What the hell are ya doin'?!" John started to say something, but Hellboy glared, "And don't say _nothin'_, 'cause this sure as hell ain't it."

The agent lost his voice until Zane spoke from the doorway, the young man's hand on the watch. "Do it John." Red glanced up and growled. "_You._ So yer the bastard makin—"

Zane ignored the demon. "John, you know your choices. Slit. His. Throat."

John swallowed thickly.

The knife clattered to the ground.

Zane tutted. "Wrong answer, John." He twisted the knob. Hellboy began to glow, his cells flashing different colors—orange, pink, white, red—and the demon's body began to spasm. John's grip tightened on the demon's wrist; a small ping echoed through the room.

And the world went black.

* * *

John sat bolt upright in the bed, and as the world came into focus he recognized the glass walls and tiny bed of the infirmary. Out in the hallway, he spotted Liz watching him; the fire-starter cried out when their eyes met. She, Abe and Hellboy ran into his room; the woman sweeping John into a hug, her hands flying over his body to make sure he was really there. "What were you doing?!" she demanded, "We thought we lost you! What happened?"

John didn't quite hear her. "How—how am I—are you—?"

Abe nodded. "Caterina and Elijah told us everything—they're in maximum security holding cells. We've been de-nanoed."

John sighed in relief. "Thank God. And Zane?" Abe cleared his throat, and in the corner, Hellboy tightened his fist, which seemed redder than usual. "Hellboy introduced his stone fist to Zane's head." The agent grimaced; he was glad he was out when that happened.

Liz scowled at the agent. "And _you_! How could you _do_ that?! How...how are you even alive?! Max wouldn't tell us what happened in Red's room; he said it would be better if...if you didn't make it."

John frowned. "What happened?"

"The camera's saw Zane pushing a button to eradicate Hellboy's brain, and he started glowing as his cells started to die," Abe explained, "But then there was a beeping sound, and you started to glow instead. Then you blacked out, and we brought you here."

John grinned in a mix of giddiness and relief. "The ring. The ring Max made—he warned me I could die, but I did it anyway—it transferred the nanos from Hellboy's blood to mine, through skin contact."

Abe looked horrified, but vaguely impressed. "Amazing. You're telling me a fifteen-year-old built something like that?" The fish-man left to find Max, who was talking animatedly to Manning and Clay.

Surprisingly, Hellboy hadn't said a word the entire time they were there, he hadn't so much as glanced at the agent. The demon turned to leave, and John jumped up after him, running to keep up with the giant. "Hellboy, wait!"

The demon went into his room and slammed the door, the metal slab swinging open again from the force. John stepped in timidly and asked, "What's wrong?"

Hellboy's shoulders started to shake, and John realized he was laughing. The demon turned, his expression angry. "What's wrong! _You're_ wrong, John!! What the _hell_ were ya _thinkin'_?! How could ya do that to us?!"

The agent stumbled back, surprised by the other man's anger. Hellboy continued, "You were out doin' all this crazy shit—gettin' yerself hurt—for _what_?"

John gaped. "For _what_? Hellboy, I was doing it for _you_! Do you think I was just going to sit back and let you and Abe and Liz die?!"

"So ya put yerself up instead?! Ya think it woulda been any better for us if we knew you died to protect us?!"

"Why are you so upset?" John trembled with frustration and fatigue, the agent was on the verge of falling.

"Because I love ya," Hellboy roared, "Because I love ya, and I coulda lost ya without even knowin' it!"

John was stunned silent. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, I mean...I didn't even know."

Hellboy turned with his back to the agent, and didn't say anything. John took a few cautious steps, and tapped the demon on the back. "Hellboy?"Red turned, a grin playing on his lips. "Why can't I stay mad at ya?" John smiled. "Well you love me, right?"

* * *

Please read the OC's and review!

_Thank you so much for all your reviews, you've blown all our other stories out of the water!_

_Kit &_ Violet


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